The Miracle Foundation Youth Executive Council (YEC) was formed in 2023 to provide youth-led support of Miracle’s vision of “A Family for Every Child in Our Lifetime.” As an organizing body, Miracle’s Youth Executive Council seeks to encourage high school-aged leaders to have a voice in advocating for vulnerable children and also promotes sustainability of youth-led partnerships with Miracle Foundation.
The initiatives led by the Council include:
- Maintaining Miracle Foundation’s Youth Executive Council social media presence and youth blog to create awareness about Miracle’s work with the youth audience
- Liaising with and guiding youth chapters on campus-specific activities
- Raising funds through centrally organized and campus-specific drives
- Coordinating youth volunteer activities such as the Youth Blogger Program
- Leading outreach efforts to grow youth chapters across Central Texas to promote the sustainability of youth-led initiatives
Some of the benefits of participating in the Council include: gaining valuable leadership skills; a sense of community with like-minded students, community members, and business leaders; boosting your resume and college applications; mentorship; volunteer hours; making a social impact; and most importantly, being an integral advocate for vulnerable children.
The applications for Council leaders for the 2023-24 Academic Year are closed. Please check back in April 2024 for the updates on the 2024-25 Council Officer applications. If you would like to join the Youth Executive Council as a member at large, please fill out the interest form below.
For questions, please see the Frequently Asked Questions section below or email YouthCouncilDirector@miraclefoundation.org.
Note: Students who participate and meet the requirements can count their volunteer hours toward the President’s Volunteer Service Award. To find out more, please read Miracle’s PVSA Policy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are the answers to some frequently asked questions related to the YEC application and the Council positions.
No, you can be located anywhere in the U.S. Most of the meetings will be online, so all you need is a stable internet connection in order to join. While the YEC is based in Austin, high schoolers all over the country are encouraged to apply.
Please look at the current position PDFs to find the individual position roles, as your responsibilities and roles will differ depending on the position you apply for. In the beginning, our main priority is to get the council off the ground and to focus on running smoothly. However, our overall goal is to add a variety of youth opinions and voices regarding Miracle Foundation’s mission. To accomplish this, we’ll be organizing several projects, fundraisers, connecting with school districts, etc.
The workload will be largely dependent on the project that each officer is currently working on, as well as the officer position. However, each member is expected to be able to dedicate around 2-3 hours weekly (including meetings).
Meetings will take place 1-2 times per month on a bi-weekly / monthly basis. We may add or remove meetings depending on the workload and schedule of all the members. Once the Council is chosen, we will reach out to everyone to plan a time that is convenient for the group. If the officer chooses to create a team under them, they will be expected to meet with their team outside of the full-board meeting times.
Yes, whether for high school service hours or volunteering awards such as the Presidential Service Award, we officially approve and record any time you spend volunteering.
No, if you simply would like to volunteer for our cause, individual volunteering or fundraising is always an option, and we appreciate any help you offer! Please feel free to check out the Student Ambassador page for more information about fundraising.
The council mainly focuses on collaboration between youth to accomplish major projects and uphold a more sustainable impact, and if you would still like to get involved as a committee member working under the council leaders, please complete the Volunteer Interest Survey HERE. These roles would be less demanding, but still offer the opportunity to work and make a change.
The UN Rights of the Child
are at the heart of everything we do. We work hand-in-hand with local leaders and families to activate each of these rights so children can reach their full potential.
photo: Beth Jansen
